This invention relates to connectors used to couple cables to equipment ports, terminals, or the like. The invention is particularly useful in, although not limited to, universal connectors for coaxial cables of the type employed in the cable television industry.
In using electronic devices such as televisions and video tape machines, it is desired to connect such devices either together or to other sources of electronic signals. Typically, a television may be hooked up to a cable service that enters the home through coaxial cables. Such cables are connected to the television by use of one or more connectors.
The conventional coaxial cable typically contains a centrally located electrical conductor surrounded by and spaced inwardly from an outer cylindrical braid conductor. The center and braid conductors are separated by a foil and an insulator core, with the braid being encased within a protective sheathing jacket. In some typical coaxial cables, a foil layer is not used such that the outer braid conductor surrounds the insulator core.
Conventional coaxial cable end connectors typically include an inner cylindrical post adapted to be inserted into a suitably prepared end of the cable between the foil and the outer braid conductor, an end portion of the latter having been exposed and folded back over the sheath jacket. The center conductor, the insulator core, and the foil thus form a central core portion of the cable received axially in the inner post, whereas the outer braid conductor and sheathing jacket comprise an outer portion of the cable surrounding the inner post.
The conventional coaxial cable end connector further includes an outer component designed to coact with an inner post in securely and sealingly clamping the outer portion of the cable therebetween. In xe2x80x9ccrimp typexe2x80x9d end connectors, the outer component is a connector body fixed in relation to and designed to be deformed radially inwardly towards the inner post by a crimping tool. Typical examples of crimp type end connectors are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,129 (Szegda); U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,943 (Tarrant); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,616 (Holliday), which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
In the so-called xe2x80x9cradial compression typexe2x80x9d end connectors, the outer component is a substantially non-deformable sleeve adapted to be shifted axially with respect to the inner post into a clamped position coacting with the inner post to clamp the prepared cable end therebetween. Typical examples of radial compression type connectors are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,005 (French); U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,577 (Szegda); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,606 (Yeh Ming-Hwa), which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
These radial compression type end connectors suffer from a common disadvantage in that prior to being mounted on the cable ends, the outer sleeve components are detached and separated from the inner post and/or connector members. As such, the outer sleeve components are prone to being dropped or otherwise becoming misplaced or lost, particularly, as is often the case, when an installation is being made outdoors under less than ideal weather conditions.
In other attempts, connectors have been made by detachably interconnecting the connector body and outer sleeve component in a parallel side-by-side relationship. This is intended to facilitate pre-installation handling and storage. However, during installation, the outer sleeve component must still be detached from the connector body and threaded or inserted onto the cable as a separate element. Thus, mishandling or loss of the outer sleeve component remains a serious problem during the critical installation phase.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,864 (Birch et al), which is also incorporated herein in its entirety, discloses a radial compression type end connector with an integral outer sleeve component. Here, however, the outer sleeve component is shifted into its clamped position as a result of the connector being threaded onto an equipment port or the like. Before the clamped position is achieved, the end connector is only loosely assembled on and is thus prone to being dislodged from the cable end. This again creates problems for the installer.
Another shortcoming of known connectors is the need for an O-ring or similar sealing member to prevent moisture from penetrating the end connector between the connector body and the outer sleeve component.
Accordingly, there is a continued need for improved connectors in view of the problems associated with known connectors, and which may be utilized with a wide range of cable types and sizes. In addition, there is continued need for improved connectors that are relatively uncomplicated in structure and which are economical to fabricate.
The present invention is directed to a connector comprising body member including a post member defining an inner first cavity, and further including a connector body coupled to the post member and defining therebetween an outer first cavity, the post member having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with the inner first cavity, and the connector body having at least one opening communicating with said outer first cavity; and fastener member defining a second cavity and having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with the second cavity, at least a portion of the fastener member being movably disposed on the connector body in a first configuration, and capable of being disposed on the connector body in a second configuration in which the volume of the outer first cavity is decreased.
In a preferred embodiment, the fastener member, in a first configuration, is press fitted onto the connector body. Also the fastener member has an internal groove. The connector body has a detent disposed on its outer surface such that the detent is movably disposed in the internal groove in the first configuration. The detent, in the second configuration, is disposed on the inner surface of the fastener member.
The present invention is also directed to a coaxial cable connector comprising body member including a post member defining an inner first cavity, and further including a connector body coupled to said post member and defining therebetween an outer first cavity, the post member having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with said inner first cavity, and said connector body having at least one opening communicating with said outer first cavity; and fastener member defining a second cavity and having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with said second cavity, at least a portion of the fastener member being movably fastened on the connector body in a first configuration, and capable of being fastened on the connector body in a second configuration in which the volume of the outer first cavity is decreased.
Preferably the connector body and post member are each generally tubular.
The connector body is fastened to a portion of the post member adjacent the second opening of the post member, and the opening of the connector body is adjacent to the first opening of the post member. In the first configuration, the first opening of the fastener member is adjacent and communicates with the opening of the outer first cavity. The area of the first opening of the fastener member is greater than the area of the opening of the connector body.
The connector body has at least one or a plurality of serrations disposed on an inner surface thereof. The fastener member is generally tubular having at least a portion thereof with an inner diameter being less than the maximum outer diameter of at least a portion of the connector body adjacent the opening of the outer first cavity. The connector body has a flange disposed on a portion of an outer surface of the connector body. The flange is positioned to contact the fastener member fastened onto the connector body in the second configuration. The connector further comprises a nut member, coupled to at least one of the body member and the post member, adjacent said second opening of said post member. The connector can further comprise a sealing member such as an O-ring disposed between the nut member and the body member. The post member has a ridge disposed in the first inner cavity adjacent the second opening of the post member.
In preferred embodiments, the post member, connector body and fastener member can be metallic. Alternatively, they can be formed of reinforced plastic material. In one preferred embodiment, the connector body is formed of a plastic composition.
Also the present invention is directed to a coaxial cable connector comprising first body means for coupling to a coaxial cable, and including a post means for defining an inner first cavity, and further including a connector body means coupled to the post means and defining therebetween an outer first cavity, the post means having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with the inner first cavity, and the connector body means having at least one opening communicating with the outer first cavity, the first and second openings of the post means allowing for passage of at least a portion of the coaxial cable, and the outer first cavity allowing for entry of at least another portion of the coaxial cable; and fastener means for movably engaging the first body means and defining a second cavity having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with the second cavity, the fastener means being coupled onto the connector body means in a first configuration, and the first and second openings of the fastener means allowing for passage of a portion of the coaxial cable, and capable of being coupled onto the connector body means in a second configuration for decreasing the volume of the outer first cavity.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a connector comprising first body member including an inner member defining an inner first cavity, and further including an outer member coupled to the inner member and defining therebetween an outer first cavity, said inner member having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with said inner first cavity, and said outer member having at least one opening communicating with said outer first cavity; and second body member defining a second cavity and having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with the second cavity, at least a portion of the second body member being disposed on the outer member of the first body member in a first configuration, and capable of being disposed on the outer member in a second configuration in which the volume of the outer first cavity is decreased.
In addition, the present invention is directed to a method of positioning a connector on a coaxial cable, the coaxial cable comprising a center conductor, an insulator core, an outer conductor, and a sheath, comprises preparing an end of the coaxial cable by separating the center conductor and insulator core from the outer conductor and sheath; providing a first body member including a post member defining an inner first cavity, and further including a connector body coupled to the post member and defining an outer first cavity therebetween, the post member having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with the inner first cavity, and the connector body having at least one opening communicating with the outer first cavity; providing a second body member defining a second cavity having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with the second cavity; movably fastening the second body member onto at least a portion of an outer surface of the connector body in a first configuration; inserting the prepared coaxial cable end through the second opening of the second body member and extending the center conductor of the prepared coaxial cable end out of second opening of post member; and moving second body member on connector body to a second configuration so as to decrease the volume of outer first cavity such that the first body member engages the outer conductor and sheath of the coaxial cable.
The step of moving the second body member on the connector body to its second configuration includes forcibly sliding the second body member along the connector body. The step of inserting the prepared end of the coaxial cable further includes advancing the coaxial cable such that the insulator core engages a ridge disposed within post member.
Moreover, the present invention is directed to a coaxial connector for coupling a coaxial cable to a device, the coaxial cable including a center conductor, an insulating core, an outer conductor and a sheath, comprising post member defining an inner first cavity, the post member having a first opening and a second opening each communicating with the inner first cavity; connector body coupled to the post member and defining therebetween an outer first cavity having at least one opening communicating with the outer first cavity; fastener member defining a second cavity and being coupled to the connector body for sliding engagement on the outer surface of the connector body, from a first configuration wherein the fastener member is fastened onto the connector body prior to coupling to the coaxial cable, to a second configuration after the coaxial cable is inserted into the connector and wherein the fastener member coacts with the connector body so that the connector sealingly grips the coaxial cable.
In a preferred embodiment, the fastener member includes an internal groove, and the connector body includes a detent, whereby the internal groove and the detent cooperate such that the fastener member is movably fastened to the connector body in its first configuration. In an alternative embodiment, the fastener member includes a detent, and the connector body includes a notch, whereby the detent and the notch cooperate such that the fastener member is securely fastened to the connector body in its first configuration. In one embodiment, the connector body includes a second notch, whereby the detent and the second notch cooperate such that the fastener member is securely fastened to the connector body in its second configuration. The fastener member has a first inner bore dimensioned so as to deform the connector body in its first configuration, and wherein the fastener member has a second inner bore dimensioned so as to further deform the connector body in its second configuration. The connector body includes a flange positioned to engage the fastener member in the second configuration. The connector further includes a nut member coupled to the post member. The nut member can include a flange positioned to engage the fastener member in the second configuration. The post member includes a protrusion disposed to securely couple with the connector body member. The connector body includes a plurality of annular serrations disposed on an inner surface thereof. The outer surface of the connector body has a plurality of corrugations disposed opposite the plurality of annular serrations.